Code Mantra is a grand Gujarati play like no other. Inspired from the Hollywood classic A Few Good Men, the play involves more than 25 actors, most of them being extras but they add a lot. Rajesh Joshi’s direction is cinematic and it is praiseworthy how there are no blackouts at all. Even during shifting of properties, there’s something happening that diverts one’s attention there. The use of Jagjit Singh’s songs while setting up the court is a great idea. Sachin-Jigar (who have given music for many Hindi films) come up with an excellent background music that elevates the impact. It made me miss commercial Hindi films and I suddenly realized how we haven’t had such a film since a long time replete with dialoguebaazi and theatrics! Sneha Desai adapts the idea beautifully and also portrays the lead role with conviction. Pratap Sachdev also rocks as the hot-tempered ‘boss’. The makers have added some twists in the tale and most of them work but some of them does raise a few questions. But overall, it’s a great attempt and deserves to be seen for its grandeur and engaging narrative and writing!
My rating – **** out of 5!
